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Jesus’ Breath
Scripture Reading — John 20:19-23
He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
— John 20:22
Dead people don’t breathe. And they surely don’t breathe life that flows into others!
Just a few days earlier, Jesus had “breathed his last” (Luke 23:46), and everyone around him had assumed that was the end of him. But here, in John 20, we read about Jesus coming back to life, early on Sunday morning, and in the evening of that day he was breathing the life of his Holy Spirit into his disciples.
Have you heard of the geyser “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone National Park (U.S.)? The water shoots 130 feet (40 meters) into the air! We can think of Jesus’ breath too as something like a geyser, a geyser of life.
Have you seen pictures or watched videos of young bamboo plants in a tropical forest? In the searing heat they grow so fast that you can almost hear them stretch. As the earth provides nutrients, the bamboo plant pushes out vegetation. In some ways like that, Jesus’ breath pushes out life.
Have you been to a worship service that honors the Lord and God of the universe—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Followers of Jesus, striving to live for the Savior in a fallen, broken world, come to worship the King of creation and to share Jesus’ breath with one another. He gives it, and they receive life. Renewal. Revival.
The resurrection of Jesus keeps echoing as he inspires God’s people to share his love and bring hope everywhere in God’s world.
Breathe on us, Lord Jesus. Send us your Spirit. Enliven, awaken, and commission us, as you did with your disciples. Amen.
About the author — Dave Den Haan
Dave Den Haan is an ordained minister who works for Thrive, the Christian Reformed Church in North America agency that equips and encourages congregations. His main focus is to serve churches experiencing conflict and challenge. Before working with Thrive, Dave served as a pastor to two congregations, one in Minnesota and one in Michigan. He and his wife, Connie, have three married children and two grandchildren.
Scripture Reading — John 20:19-23
He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
— John 20:22
Dead people don’t breathe. And they surely don’t breathe life that flows into others!
Just a few days earlier, Jesus had “breathed his last” (Luke 23:46), and everyone around him had assumed that was the end of him. But here, in John 20, we read about Jesus coming back to life, early on Sunday morning, and in the evening of that day he was breathing the life of his Holy Spirit into his disciples.
Have you heard of the geyser “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone National Park (U.S.)? The water shoots 130 feet (40 meters) into the air! We can think of Jesus’ breath too as something like a geyser, a geyser of life.
Have you seen pictures or watched videos of young bamboo plants in a tropical forest? In the searing heat they grow so fast that you can almost hear them stretch. As the earth provides nutrients, the bamboo plant pushes out vegetation. In some ways like that, Jesus’ breath pushes out life.
Have you been to a worship service that honors the Lord and God of the universe—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Followers of Jesus, striving to live for the Savior in a fallen, broken world, come to worship the King of creation and to share Jesus’ breath with one another. He gives it, and they receive life. Renewal. Revival.
The resurrection of Jesus keeps echoing as he inspires God’s people to share his love and bring hope everywhere in God’s world.
Breathe on us, Lord Jesus. Send us your Spirit. Enliven, awaken, and commission us, as you did with your disciples. Amen.
About the author — Dave Den Haan
Dave Den Haan is an ordained minister who works for Thrive, the Christian Reformed Church in North America agency that equips and encourages congregations. His main focus is to serve churches experiencing conflict and challenge. Before working with Thrive, Dave served as a pastor to two congregations, one in Minnesota and one in Michigan. He and his wife, Connie, have three married children and two grandchildren.
